jāti-vidyā-mahatvaṁ ca rūpaṁ yauvanam eva ca |
yatnena parihartavyaḥ pañcaite bhakti-kaṇṭakāḥ ||
(Unknown source)
“Caste, learning, greatness, beauty, and youth are to be relinquished [i.e., one should not foster any conceit because of them]. These five are thorns for [i.e., on the path of] bhakti.”
apamānaṁ puraskṛtya kṛtvā mānaṁ tu pṛṣṭhataḥ |
sva-kāryam uddharet prājñaḥ kārya-dhvaṁsena mūrkhatā ||
(Pañcatantra: 3.237; cited the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.244)
“Putting disrespect ahead and respect behind [i.e., accepting and learning from disrespect and not becoming conceived by receiving respect], a wise person shall accomplish one’s aim. Foolishness occurs by spoiling one’s aim [i.e., it is foolish to become preoccupied with the disrespect or respect one receives such that one fails to accomplish one’s aim].”
jahyād yad-arthe svān prāṇān hanyād vā pitaraṁ gurum |
tasyāṁ svatvaṁ striyāṁ jahyād yas tena hy ajito jitaḥ ||
kṛmi-viḍ-bhasma-niṣṭhāntaṁ kvedaṁ tucchaṁ kalevaram |
kva tadīya-ratir bhāryā kvāyam ātmā nabhaś-chadiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.14.12–13)
“The Unconquerable One [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān] becomes conquered by one who can relinquish possessiveness of one’s wife, for the sake of whom one [who is attached to one‘s wife] may relinquish [even] one’s vital airs [i.e., give up one’s life] or may kill [even] one’s father or guru [if a circumstance arises in which one’s wife’s life is in danger]. Where is this insignificant body, the end-state of which is in insects, excrement, or ashes? Where is a wife, whose attachment is to that [i.e., to that insignificant body]? And where is this Self, he who eclipses [even] the sky?”
na kartṛtvaṁ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛjati prabhuḥ |
na karma-phala-saṁyogaṁ svabhāvas tu pravartate ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 5.14)
“The Lord creates neither the doership, nor the actions, nor the connection with the results of actions of a person. Rather, the disposition (svabhāva) [of a person] prompts [these].”
uddhavāyam aho gopa-putro govardhanodbhavaḥ |
mādṛśāṁ tvādṛśānāṁ ca mṛgyan vastu sudurlabham ||
itas tato bhraman vyagraḥ kadācid api kutracit |
nātikramati cittāntarlagnaṁ taṁ śokam ārtidam ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.5.58–59)
“[Śrī Nārada of Gopa Kumāra:] Aho! Uddhava! This son of a cowherd born in Govardhana, restless and wandering here and there searching for an object most difficult to attain [i.e., completely unattainable] for those like me [i.e., bhaktas of Śrī Bhagavān] and those like you [i.e., friends of Śrī Bhagavān], never anywhere overcomes that sorrow fixed in his heart that causes it to ache.”
na yasya janma-karmabhyāṁ na varṇāśrama-jātibhiḥ |
sajjate’sminn aham-bhāvo dehe vai sa hareḥ priyaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.51; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.28)
“One whose sense of ‘I’ does not adhere to this body along with [its] birth [i.e., nobility] and karma [i.e., performance of austerities, japa, meditation, etc.], or [its] varṇa [e.g., being a brāhmaṇa], āśrama [e.g., being a brahmacārī], and jāti [e.g., being born to a particular set of parents, in a particular country, in a particular region, etc.], is dear to Hari.”
nanu nirupādhi-premāspadasya prītau parikaratvābhimāna upādhiḥ syāt | tato jñānātmikāṁ sāmānyāṁ ca prītim apekṣya tad-abhimāni-prītayo gauṇya eva syuḥ | kiṁ ca mamatāyāḥ prīti-hetutve jñāte ca yasyātmanaḥ sambandhāt prītir bhavet tasminn eva tad-ādhikyaṁ syāt | naivaṁ | śrī-bhagavato yena svabhāvenaivānubhūtenābhimāna-viśeṣaṁ vināpi teṣāṁ prītir udayate tenāpi parikarāṇām udayate | tathā nija-svabhāva-siddho vā tātkāliko vā yo’bhimāna-viśeṣas tenāpy udayate | samuccaye ko virodhaḥ | pratyutollāsa eva |
(Prīti Sandarbha: 92)
“[An objection is raised:] ’Well, in the case of prīti for an object of upādhi-free prema [i.e., in the case of prīti for Śrī Bhagavān, who is the object of prema that is free from upādhis, that is, adjuncts, meaning, conditions], the identity (abhimāna) of being a parikara [i.e., an associate of Bhagavān] shall [itself] be an upādhi. Thus, the prītis of bearers of identity (abhimāna) in relation to him [i.e., the identity of being a parikara of Bhagavān] shall definitively be secondary [i.e., inferior] in comparison to jñāna-constituted and generic prīti [i.e., to jñānātmikā-prīti and sāmānya-prīti]. Moreover, when my-ness’s (mamatā’s) being the cause of prīti is also understood [i.e., when my-ness in relation to Bhagavān is considered the cause of prīti for Bhagavān], [then] an exceedance of prīti shall occur specifically for the self (ātmā) on the basis of a relation with which prīti [for Bhagavān] shall occur [i.e., if prīti for Bhagavān is caused by my-ness, that is, a sense of something belonging to and being dear to oneself, then prīti for one’s self is the basis of prīti for Bhagavān and will also always be greater than any prīti for Bhagavān that one may have].’
“[In response, it should be said:] No, that is not so. Prīti is manifested in parikaras by the same perceived nature (svabhāva) of Śrī Bhagavān by which prīti is manifest in them [i.e., those possessed of jñānātmikā-prīti and sāmānya-prīti] even without a particular identity (abhimāna) [in relation to Śrī Bhagavān]. It is also similarly manifest by a particular identity (abhimāna), be it one established in one’s own nature (svabhāva) or existent [only] for a particular time [i.e., temporarily present in the mind of a parikara]. What contradiction is there in the aggregation [of these? Meaning, there is no contradiction in saying that prīti is manifested both by perception of Bhagavān’s nature (svabhāva) and manifested by a particular identity (abhimāna) in relation to Bhagavān because these two things are not mutually exclusive but rather mutually complementary and of the same nature since both are manifestations of Śrī Bhagavān’s own svarūpa-śakti]. Rather, there is simply elation (ullāsa) [i.e., the elation of prīti, alt., there is simply increase (ullāsa), meaning, prīti simply manifests to a greater degree when Bhagavān’s nature (svabhāva) is perceived by one who also has a sense of identity (abhimāna) in relation to Bhagavān that is also manifested by Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti].”
atha bhaktābhimāna-viśeṣa-hetavo guṇās tat-kṛtāḥ prīter bhaktānāṁ ca bhedās tāratamyaṁ ca yathā—saiva khalu prītir bhagavat-svabhāva-viśeṣāvirbhāva-yogam upalabhya kañcid anugrāhyatvenābhimānayati kañcid anukampitvena kañcin mitratvena, kañcit priyātvena ca | bhagavat-svabhāva-viśeṣāvirbhāva-hetuś ca yasya bhagavat-priya-viśeṣasya saṅgādinā labdhā prītis tasya prīter eva guṇa-viśeṣo boddhavyaḥ | nitya-parikarāṇāṁ nityam eva tad dvayam |
(Prīti Sandarbha: 84)
“Now, the qualities [of prīti] the causes of which are the particular identities (abhimānas) of bhaktas, and the divisions and gradation of prīti and bhaktas made by them [i.e., by these qualities of prīti which give rise to particular identities], are [explained] as follows: prīti itself alone, upon acquiring connection with the manifestation of a particular nature (svabhāva) [i.e., persona] of Bhagavān [e.g., Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Rāma, Śrī Viṣṇu, or otherwise], produces the identity (abhimāna) of being an object of favor [i.e., a junior, servant, or child of Bhagavān] in someone, of being a bestower of compassion [i.e., a senior or parent of Bhagavān] in someone, of being a friend [of Bhagavān] in someone, and of being a beloved [of Bhagavān] in someone. The cause of the manifestation of a particular nature (svabhāva) of Bhagavān [in relation to which prīti manifests a particular identity in a bhakta] is furthermore to be understood as a particular quality of the prīti of the particular dear one of Bhagavān by whose association and so forth prīti was attained [i.e., prīti is attained only from a bhakta who has it, and the prīti that will be attained from a particular bhakta will possess the same particular sense of identity related to the same particular nature of Bhagavān that the prīti of the bhakta from whom it was attained possesses]. In the case of eternal associates [of Bhagavān], the two of these [i.e., a bhakta’s particular identity and the particular nature of Bhagavān that it relates to] are eternal [i.e., eternal associates of Bhagavān have beginninglessly had a particular identity related to a particular nature of Bhagavān].”
brahman yam anugṛhṇāmi tad viśo vidhunomy aham |
yan madaḥ puruṣaḥ stabdho lokaṁ māṁ cāvamanyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 8.22.24; cited in Prīti Sandarbha: 47)
“[Śrī Bhagavān:] O Brahmā, from one whom I favor I remove that wealth by which the person becomes proud, obstinate, and disrespectful towards the world and myself.”
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobho harṣo māno madas tathā |
ṣaḍ-vargam utsṛjed enaṁ tasmiṁs tyakte sukhī nṛpaḥ ||
(Hitopadeśa: Sandhi, 102)
“Give up the six enemies: lust, anger, greed, pleasure, egotism, and pride. O King, one who rejects them is happy in this world.”
